Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to food compositions and particularly to food compositions having a meat-like appearance, feel, and texture and to methods of making such food compositions.
Description of Related Art
Some food compositions having a meat-like appearance and methods of making such food compositions are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,025 discloses a simulated ground meat analog derived from sprouted whole grain kernels and the process for making the analog. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,710 discloses a method and apparatus for forming meat analog products and for texturizing a dough mass wherein the ingredients are mixed, passed through a conduit having a decreasing cross-sectional area while the dough mass is heated therein, the heating being done such that a greater heat intensity is applied to the center of the dough mass than to the dough mass adjacent the waits of the conduit. U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,987 discloses low-fat meat foods with much of the flavor and physical properties of conventional full-fat meat foods. U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,827 discloses a process for making a vegetable base meat analog that can be used in a variety of vegetarian food products, such as burger patties and sausages. US2006105098A1 discloses a method of manufacturing a texturised proteinaceous meat analogue having & relative water activity of less man about 0.8, comprising proteinaceous materials selected from the group consisting of detailed soy flour, soy meal soy concentrate, cereal gluten (in vital or starch containing form) and egg white powder, edible binding and cross-linking compounds, and a humectant of glycerol and glucose, and the products thereof. The mixture is convened info hot lava, extruded and cooled. US2006141125A1 discloses a proteinaceous meat analogue, for incorporation into packaged pet foods, wherein said meat analogue consists of particles of internally texturised, proteinaceous extrudate material dispersed in a gelled matrix composed of ground meat-based and cereal-based materials: wherein the moisture content of said extrudate and said matrix are different; and wherein the internal texturisation of said extrudate has a fibrous structure. Also disclosed is a method of preparing said analogue. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,121 discloses a moisture-reduced, formulated food product that has a soft, resilient texture and that simulates the appearance of cooked meat. U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,738 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,206 disclose methods for producing meat emulsion products that have a realistic fiber definition. The products have a body member including protein and fat and have a plurality of linear strands of fiber-like material affording the meat emulsion product a realistic meat-like appearance.
Generally, food compositions that have a meat-like appearance, feel, and texture require the addition of water to create the soft meat-like appearance, feel, and texture. These food compositions must be hermetically sealed and sterilized to be shelf stable, generally by retorting a sealed container containing the compositions. Typically, these food compositions are classified as “wet” food compositions by the food industry. To adapt these food compositions and produce “dry” food compositions requires even higher levels of water. For such dry compositions to be shelf stable, preservatives must be added to prevent spoilage. Unfortunately, the soft texture of these dry compositions is quickly lost, possibly due to loss of moisture. Without the soft texture, these compositions do not have an acceptable meat-like appearance, feel, and texture and are therefore not very appealing or palatable. There is, therefore, a need for new food compositions that have and retain a realistic meat-like appearance, feel, and texture.